3 Quick Fix Week Night Dinners By Mob Kitchen

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King of social media and rapid online cooking pro Ben Lebus is back with his take on delicious plant-based dishes from creamy peanut butter Thai curry to a spicy Southeast Asian dish, that can all be easily made for under a tenner. So if you’re in need of some quick and easy dinner inspo, follow these simple recipes that take just 30 minutes or less to cook…

30 Minute Peanut Red Thai Curry Bowls

Sack those shop bought pastes forever – this is the way forward. If possible, use peanut butter made from peanuts only – the best stuff really takes this dish to the next level.

SERVES 4

YOU’LL NEED…

5 shallots

3 red chillies

Paprika

Fresh ginger

Fresh coriander

2 limes

Garlic

Lemongrass puree

400g basmati rice (we use Tilda)

1 large carrot

2 red (bell) peppers

400ml tin of coconut milk

Peanut butter

Olive oil

HERE’S HOW…

First, make your curry sauce. Into a blender add the shallots, chillies, 3 teaspoons of paprika, a peeled and chopped 5-cm (2-inch) piece of ginger, a handful of fresh coriander including stalks, the juice of a lime (use a teaspoon to get all the juice out), 2 cloves of garlic and 3 heaped teaspoons of lemongrass puree. Blitz until smooth.

Get the basmati rice on (follow the instructions on the packet).

Chop up your carrot and peppers.

In a pan, add a glug of olive oil and throw in your chopped carrots and chopped red peppers.

When mostly cooked through, add your curry sauce. Mix thoroughly.

Add your coconut milk and allow it to simmer so that the sauce thickens.

Serve on a bed of rice and top with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Quick Lentil Ratatouille

So good it’s almost as if I had a rat in my hat when I was making it…

SERVES 4

YOU’LL NEED…

1 brown onion

2 carrots

2 aubergines

2 courgettes

Garlic

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

Puy lentils

Dried oregano

Dried thyme

Ground coriander

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

HERE’S HOW…

Finely dice the onion and carrots, add to a pan with a glug of olive oil and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the aubergines and the courgettes, both cut into rough cubes. Cook down until the aubergines and courgettes start to char.

Add 350 g (scant 2 cups) rinsed Puy lentils, 500 ml (generous 2 cups) of water, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, and salt and pepper. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the lentils are not sticking. Add a little water if and when necessary.

Once you have a delicious, thick ratatouille, add a handful of fresh basil leaves. Serve in bowls with salt and pepper sprinkled on top.

15-Minute Laksa

Making your own laksa pasta is the easiest thing to do and packs so much more flavour than the store-bought stuff. Done in minutes – give it a spin and impress your mob.

SERVES 4

YOU’LL NEED…

Ground coriander

Paprika

Ground cumin

4 red chillies

1 brown onion

2 lemongrass stalks

Fresh ginger

Garlic

2 carrots

2 courgettes

2 x 400g tins of coconut milk

Rice noodles

Sugar snap peas

Fresh coriander

1 lime

Vegetable oil

HERE’S HOW…

Make the paste first – add 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander, paprika and ground cumin to a pan and heat until fragrant (one minute or so). Add to a food processor with 4 red chillies, a roughly chopped brown onion, 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), a small grated piece of ginger, 2 garlic cloves and a glug of oil.

Add the paste to a saucepan and fry for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, finely slice 2 carrots and slice 2 courgettes.

Add your vegetables and coconut milk to the pan and bring to the boil, then add 150 g (51/2 oz) rice noodles. Cook until the rice noodles are soft.

Turn off the heat, add a handful of chopped coriander and squeeze a lime on top.

Serve up and enjoy!

Recipes taken from MOB Veggie: Feed 4 or more for under £10 by Ben Lebus @mobkitchen @PavilionBooks.
Image credit to HaaralaHamilton (@liznmax)